Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-10-06
A DRUNKARD,S APPEAL.

A DRUNKARD'S APPEAL.
A young man entered the bar-rnom
Of village tavern and called for
drink. The landlord said, No, you
have too much already. You have had
the delirium tremens once, and I can
not sell you any MORE" He stepped
aside to make room for two young men
who had just entered, and the landlord
waited upon them very politely. The
other had stood by silent, and when
the others had finished, he walked up
to the landlord, and thus addressed
him: "Six years ago. at that age, /
stood where those young men stand
now. was a man with fair prospects.
Now, at the age of twenty-eight, am
a wreck, body and mind. You led ME
to drink. In this room ] formed the
habit that has been my ruin. Now,
give me a few glasses more and your
work is done. I shall soon be out of
the way. There is no hope for me.
But they can he saved; they ma be
men again. Do not sell it TO them.
Sell it to ME and let me die, and the
world will be rid of me; but for Heav-
ems sake sell them no more!" The
landlord listened, pale and trembling.
Setting down the decanter he eXclai1l-
ed: "God helping me, that is the last
drop I will ever sell 10 anyone!" And
H. 4. 81,
THE DRINKING HABIT IN CALIFORNIA.
By W. III. Mays, N. d., Superintendent Of
Stockton State Insane asylum.
From the Ninth Biennial Report of the State
Board of Health.
Intemperance is assigned as the cause
OF insanity in about thirteen per cent.
of those sent to the asylums of this
State. This falls far short of the truth.
There is disposition OH the part of tile
relatives to hide the fact of drunken
ness, and hence the exciting cause is
set down to sunstroke, business revers-
es. trouble, blow on the head, etc.
Lord Shaftesbury, an authority OF the
that more than fifty per cent. of the
cases of mental disease to be found in
aeylums are due to the drinking habit
My predecessor, DIR. 6. A. Shurtleff,
states. as a result of his long expert
ence, that intemperance produces more
insanity on the Pacific Coast than any
other influence. Nor, with what op-
portunities for observation have had,
do hesitate to add my testimony that
40 factor Ia more potent and active in
the oausation of insanity.
II oily the evil done by the inebriate
could be limited to himself! Nothing
sxerts more deteriorating an influence
OIL the race of man, sapping the mental
and physical health of our people. DR..
Howe. of Boston, in his report on
idiocy, makes the statement that of the
three hundred idiots under his care,
one hundred and forty-five had drunk
Gil parents. In one instance, he con-
tinues, where both parents were drunk
ards, seven idiotic children were born
to them. 81 receive patients daily at
the Bicetre," says DIR. Moreau, ''in
whom I can trace back the origin of
their malady to nothing else but the
habitnal intoxication of their parents.
The following direct instances where
the sins of the father were visited on
experience during general medical
practice:
/. The father, respectable business
man, met with reverses and "took to
drink" Although the parent of two
healthy children before this, the next
child born to him was a puny, mall
formed creature, which died before
reaching its fifth month.
2. A stout, bright girl married a
man addicted to periodical drinking
bouts. Their child was born disfigur-
ed with a spina bifida, and died in a
few weeks of meningitis.
3. A man, well to do in a small
country town, had for years INDUCED
every few month in occasional drink
ing spree of a week or SOS duration
His son, when only thirteen years old,
was seen reeiing along the street in a
bestial state of intoxication, and at
eighteen was bloated and bessotted
drunkard. Instances are not rare, in
the experience of physicians. of this
direct transmission of the drinking
tendency from father to son.
If only the evil done by the inebriate
were limited TO himself!
No young man, it doesn't hurt you
practicle to sow your wild oats. Go
ahead and sow as you wish. But it's
the gathering in of the crop that will
make you howl. And you have to
1loxa,f IL III,